How do I back up the local database?

August 04, 2026 00:09
Updated

You should always take regular backups of your data files. Due to the way the local database works, it is important that Geneious is not accessing the database when a backup is taken. Note that this process will not backup files that are located on a Cloud or Shared database. If you have files on either Cloud or Shared database that you would like to include in an archive backup you must transfer them to the local folder first. This file should be stored on another drive/.

You will need to ensure that the drive you are making the backup to contains sufficient space for your data before you start the backup, otherwise it will fail. The backup will take approximately the same amount of space as your existing Geneious data folder.

There are two options available when using the Geneious Backup function. You can either:

A. Backup the entire database and all settings/preferences by selecting Archive all local data and settings.
The safest way to make a backup is to use the backup function in Geneious, under File -> Back Up Data -> Archive all local data and settings. This will cause Geneious to cease working on the local database and make a zip archive of the entire database, including all preferences and settings, which can be stored securely as a backup and later used to recover your database.
To recover such a database, use the option File > Restore backup... and select the zip archive file (do not uncompress the file beforehand). Please refer to How do I restore a Geneious backup? for more information.
Note that this option will open your backup as an entirely separate database and does not merge with the current working database. To add this data to an existing database, please see - How do I merge a restored backup with my existing data?

B. Backup your Local database or any subfolders by selecting the folder and using Export selected folder "Local" in the backup tool. This option will export the selected folder and all files within as a single geneious format file, which can then be transferred and opened on another instance of Geneious. To recover such a backup, simply drag the file into Geneious, or use File > Import > Files...

General system backups can also be used to backup the local database as long as these are made when Geneious is in a non-running state. For example, Mac users with Time Machine will have backups taken during the day, but if Geneious is running when those backups are taken they may not be suitable for restoring from, as some files may be incompletely copied. Backups taken overnight (i.e. when Geneious isn’t running) should work fine. To load a database backed up with a system or third party backup tool, first transfer the database folder out of the backup drive and into your User directory. Then open Geneious and go to Tools->Preferences->General and set the data storage location to this database folder.